The concept of stump cutters is old in the art, typically, a stump cutter has a rotatable cutter disk with sets of cutting tools mounted on each face of the rotatable disk. The rotating disk with the cutting tools, which have hardened or carbide cutting tips, is brought into contact with a stump which causes the carbide cutting tips to abrade away and reduce the stump and stump root system to chips. Typically, the cutting tools are mounted in holders called pockets which enables the cutting tools to be replaced as the cutting tools are worn or broken. Unfortunately, the cutting tools rarely wear out from regular use but more often break there shanks or suffer complete carbide loss or are pulled out of the pocket by rocks and stump roots, which results in a costly and premature replacement of the cutting tool. The protector mounts to the rotatable disk to protect the cutting tool shank and absorb the shocks and impacts from rock and debris, while still providing full used of the carbide cutting tips. Further benefits of the invention included the reduction of wear on the lead tool holder and substantially less rock damage to holder bolt heads, less vibration and an increase in cutting speed. Furthermore, when cutting tools need to be replaced it is easier to replace the cutting tool , particularly the lead cutting tool, as the cutting tool holder and bolts are substantially protected from wear damage that makes it difficult to insert a new cutting tool into the tool holder. The present invention, provides a maintenance friendly cutter wheel having a cutting tool protector that mounts to the rotatable disk with the cutting tool protector including a leading non-cutting edge that projects sufficiently far outward from the rotatable disk to rotationally limit the bite of the subsequent cutting tool, which is located rotationally behind the protector, and thereby substantially eliminate the problems of broken teeth or lost carbide on cutting tools. Other benefits of the invention include the reduction of wear on the lead tool holder, the reduction of vibration and the increase in cutting speed. Furthermore, when cutting teeth need to be replaced it is easier to replace the cutting tool, particularly the lead cutting tool as the cutting tool holder and bolts are substantially protected from the wear damage that makes it difficult to insert a new cutting tool into the tool holder.